It Didn't Matter At All

There wasn't much change in Duchess, she still secluded herself from the others, she did what she could do for the band. But it was very little now a days. She knew she still had a few more weeks at least before the pups would be here, but she could feel herself slowing down and becoming weaker as the days went on. Her emotions didn't help, but she tried hard to push them aside for her duties and unravel once she was back in her den alone.

It was late in the night, and she did have trouble sleeping at least wholly through the night. She often stirred inside her den rolling around from side to side and that was no different tonight. But near midnight it seemed, she started to have an uncomfortable strain along her stomach. She didn't think anything of it at first, just thought it was a muscle pain. She stirred to get comfortable and when she was, she came to realize that it wasn't only a muscle pain. But a sharper, stronger pain came across her.

She didn't know what to do at first, suffering through the faux contraction. She didn't even think it could have been birth, whether it was now or a few weeks from now when she was expecting. After the feeling passed, she struggled to her feet, exiting the den and looked out to the others who were only a short distance away. She had thought about calling out to Indigo, or really any of the others but she didn't want to make a scene.

She started to make her way over when another strain hit her, bringing her to the ground as she nearly silently grunted through her gritted teeth, at this point tears were falling from the pain. She wasn't aware that she was already bleeding while she traveled over. She made it to the group, but sought Indigo out separately, her paw gently rubbing across his shoulder while she whispered through a near whine in her breath, "Indigo?" She could barely make words as she was starting to become scared of the reality, "I think something is wrong." She didn't realize it, but her body was shaking from the pain and the stress and the fear, but really all she could think of was how she touched Indigo again after what felt like forever to her. But it didn't fill her with joy, instead it gave her the opposite reaction, or one more typical for her. She wanted more, but not wanting to realize what was really happening, it would only make her want to be held far beyond what she was feeling right now in this moment.

"Duchess"